Study Of Autocratic Leadership Style Management Essay

Study Of Autocratic Leadership Style Management Essay There are many ways to lead and every leader has his own style. Some of the most common styles include autocratic, bureaucratic, democratic and laissez-faire. Autocratic Leadership Style This is often considered the classical approach. It is one in which the manager retains as much power and decision-making authority as possible. The manager does not consult employees, nor are they allowed to give any input. Employees are expected to obey orders without receiving any explanations.Some studies say that organizations with many autocratic leaders have higher turnover and absenteeism than other organizations. These studies say that autocratic leaders: Rely on threats and punishment to influence employees      Do not believe the staff      Do not allow for employee input     Nevertheless, the autocratic leadership is not so bad.Sometimes it is the most effective style to use.  Such situations may include:      Employees do not respond to any other style of leadership      There are high volumes of production needs on a daily basis      There is limited time for decision      Work must be coordinated with another department or organization   autocratic leadership style should not be used in the following cases:      Employees become tense, fearful, or resentful      Employees are expected to have their opinion heard      Employees begin depending on their manager to have all their solutions      There is low employee morale, high turnover and absenteeism and work stoppages Bureaucratic Leadership Style Bureaucratic leadership where the manager manages by the book. All must be done in accordance with the procedure or policy. If this does not apply to books, the manager refers to the next level above him or her. This manager is really more police officers than the leader. He or she  apply the rules.   This style can be effective if:   Employees perform routine tasks over and over again.   Employees must understand the specific standards or procedures.   Employees working with hazardous or fragile equipment that requires a set of procedures for the job.   Safety and security training is conducted.   Employees perform tasks that require cash handling.   This style does not be effective if:   Skills of the forms that are difficult to break, especially if they are no longer useful.   Employees are losing interest in their work and their colleagues.   Employees do only what is expected of them and nothing more. Democratic Leadership Style It encourages employees to be part of decision-making process.Democratic manager keeps his or her employees informed about everything that affects their work and shares decision making and problem-solving responsibilities.   Democratic leadership can produce high quality and quantity of work for long periods of time.  Many employees like the trust they receive and respond cooperation, team spirit and high morale.Typically, the democratic leader:   Develops plans to help employees assess their own performance   Allows employees to set goals   Encourages employees to grow jobs and encourage   Recognizes and encourages achievement.   Like other styles, the democratic style is not always appropriate.It is most successful when using highly skilled and experienced employees or when implementing operational changes or permits a person or group problems.   The democratic leadership style is most effective if:   The leader wants employees informed about matters that affect them.   The leader wants employees to participate in decision-making and problem-solving responsibilities.   There is a large and complex problem that requires a lot of input to solve.   you want to promote team building and participation.   Democratic leadership should not be used in the following cases:   There is not enough time to get the input of each.   Its easier and more cost effective for the manager to decide.   Business can not afford mistakes.   The manager feels threatened by this type of leadership. Laissez-Faire Leadership Style This kind leadership style is also known as hands-off  ¨ style. This is where the manager gives little direction and gives employees more freedom as possible. All authority or power is given to employees, and they must set goals, make decisions and solve problems independently  .   This is an effective style to use when:   Employees are highly skilled, experienced and educated.   Employees have pride in their work and desire to do it successfully yourself.   Reliable and experienced staff.   This style should not be used in the following cases:   It makes employees feel insecure in the absence of the manager.   The manager can not provide regular feedback to employees know how well they are doing.   The manager does not understand their responsibilities and hopes that staff can cover for him or her. P7. Explain the different motivational theories and their application within the workplace Maslows Hierarchy of Needs is the most widespread theory.  He believes that human beings have desires that influence their behavior in particular unmet needs.  needs come in order of importance.  person to the next level is necessary if low-level need is satisfied.  on the need to level the person moves, more personality and mental health reveals.   These requirements, from a lowest to highest are: psychological, health and safety, social, esteem and self-actualization.Examples of physiological needs are food and water.  Security refers to security, freedom from violence, safety, and others.Social is a sense of belonging as family, friends, colleagues and other professionals.  Self-esteem is a need for approval, recognition, status, etc.  And, finally, self-actualization refers to the need for personal growth through education, religion, hobbies, and others.   According to Maslow, it would be difficult to achieve the ultimate goal of self-realization, if the following goals are not met or taken care of first.  Food, water, shelter these are just some of our most pressing needs, which precede all others.  For example, it would be silly to worry about how to become emotionally stable, when you can not even have a decent meal or if you are seriously ill.  Taking care of immediate needs, you can begin to take care of the higher needs. Just as Maslows hierarchy of needs, Herzbergs Two Factor Theory is a need-based theory of motivation.  This theory is considered more powerful than Maslow, because it is easier to understand.   two-factor theory says that certain factors in the workplace leads to job satisfaction.  Others did not affect the satisfaction, but if not can lead to dissatisfaction   These factors of motivation and hygiene factors.  Motivators to ensure job satisfaction.  This includes the recognition, responsibilities and tasks.  Hygiene factors are so called because, like hygiene, their presence will not make people healthier, but their absence can cause decay.  Examples of these include salaries, fringe benefits, job security.  Hygiene factors, therefore, can determine dissatisfaction and motivators determine satisfaction. Both scales are independent and one can score high on both factors. Vrooms Expectancy Theory explains why people choose a certain course of action. Unlike the three aforementioned theories, Vrooms theory is not need-based. There are three variables in this theory: Valence, Expectancy and Instrumentality. Valence refers to the importance of the anticipated outcome of a situation. Expectancy is the belief that the effort exerted and success of the situation are related. Instrumentality means the success is related the expectations Vrooms Expectancy theory could sometimes be associated with work situation just like Herzbergs Two Factor Theory. But, in actuality, this theory is applicable to almost all kinds of situations whether work-related or not. Vrooms expectancy theory simply espoused the idea that the reason people do some things is because they expect a certain outcome. I apply Vrooms expectancy theory to my professional life because I believe in doing things not because I want to attain a certain reward but I want to attain something I truly desire for myself. For instance, I do a good job at the office not because I want a promotion, although it is part of it, but because I expect to feel fulfilled after having done something worthwhile. P8. The relationship between motivation theory and the practice of management: Different motivation theories have different effects. Motivation has to be built into the structure and without the motivational theory without the practice of management. You cannot practice motivation if you do not first have a theory or concept. In order to be a great manager or leader you have to be a good motivator, you should know what motivates your staff and what doesnt. A manager who cannot motivate or doesnt know how to motivate cannot do a good job, his job is to improve the performance of the staff and motivate all of them. P9. Describe the nature of groups and group behavior within organizations: Nature of groups The term group can be defined as, two or more persons interacting and working together to get a job or something done. When people work in groups rather than as individuals, the goals of the organization can be easily achieved. Groups can get a job done fast and usually accurate, group members could gather information and tell each other if they are doing something wrong or not, and they could appoint themselves to do a specific job which they are best in to contribute as much as possible to the group. People form groups for various reasons. Maybe get a job done faster or even to get a job done while not putting as much effort if youre the only one working on something. Various Types of Groups: There are formal and informal groups in organizations. Various groups exist within the organization and they are of varying degrees of formalization. Groups in organizations are of various types based on the number of members they have and the interactions between them. Formal Groups A group formed by the organization to accomplish a specific task is termed as a formal group. The organization sets up a formal group and allocates tasks and responsibilities to different members with the intention of achieving organizational goals. Command groups and task groups are examples of formal groups. A command group is relatively permanent in nature and finds representation in the organization chart. Functional departments of organizations are considered as command groups. Task groups, on the other hand, are formed for a specific task and are temporary in nature. They are dissolved after the task is accomplished. After dissolution of the task group, the members of the task group continue as members of their respective functional departments or command groups with reduced duties. Informal Groups Informal groups are formed by the employees themselves. The reasons for the formation of informal groups could be the need for companionship, common interests, growth, recreation, or support. There are two types of informal groups friendship groups and interest groups. Members of friendship groups have a cordial relationship with each other, common interests and are similar. They like each others company and want to spend time together. Interest groups are formed to organize an activity and are temporary in nature. Informal groups mainly satisfy the social needs of members.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   With regards to nature of groups, I would just like to add that members may have conflicting ideas and having your views challenged should could either reaffirm your own beliefs or transcend them-people should come into groups with an open mind. P10. Investigate the Factors Lead to Effective Teamwork and Influences that Threaten Success: In todays workplace, the group leaders need to solve complicated problems and to take ideas from their first stage through a series of complex processes to a successful completion. This kind of work cannot be done alone. There are just too many demands, task requirements and various sources of information required to do it without the support of others. The most important factor that can lead to efficient teamwork is motivation, it is a team leaders job to delegate tasks and to make sure that each member of their team contributes and is good at what they do. For example, if Picasso was one of the members in your group then you should give him a task that requires creativity, since being creative and artistic is his strength then it seems that natural that hell be good at what hes assigned to do. Leaders should build a relationship with its members by making ideas together and supporting it, and even improving each others ideas. They must be open and approachable P11. Evaluate the impact of technology on team functioning within a given organization:  Ã‚  Ã‚   The use of new technologies can improve and in some cases hinder team functioning. As technology changes teams must update and maintain their knowledge in order to function effectively. Technologies which have improved team functions Computers Internet Email Cell Phones Blackberry Groupware PDA Personal computers allow team members to carry out various tasks and communicate more effectively. Laptop computers allow you to do this anywhere. They are now lighter, more powerful and a longer battery life. Personal Digital Assistants (PDA) now have much of the same functionality as laptops, but are smaller, more portable and have a longer battery life. Many PDAs now have wifi as standard and some are also phones (and some phones have many PDA features). Internet has been a huge, worldwide explosion in the use of the Internet. It is already changing the way we work, shop, bank etc. Information technology has had an impact on the way we work for quite some time, but the Internet has now added electronic mail (email), teleworking and video conferencing to the workplace. E-mail allows direct communication which means team members do not need to be in the same place at the the same time in order to communicate effectively. E-mail also has its negative aspects in terms of managing e-mail and the misuse of e-mail. Cell phones have come a long way since the 1980s and there are now more mobile phones in the UK then there are people. Mobile phones allow teams to communicate even when team members are out of the office, on the road or otherwise unavailable. Sometimes having always access to team members can hinder team functioning. Phone technologies such as blackberry and 3G datacards allow team members to work and communicate remotely. Groupware enables teams to plan meetings, collaborate, delegate all within a virtual environment which can often be accessed remotely from anywhere in the world. Technology is found in its various forms in small and large businesses, the service sector, and state institutions, manufacturing companies, educational departments, multi-national organizations and the local shop.

Strategy Guide to Arc The Lad :: Arc the Lad Video Games Entertainment Essays

Strategy Guide to Arc The Lad Characters and Spells: Arc Burn Ground (volcanic eruption on enemies) Total Healing (replenishes HPs) Gail Flash (mystic forces flashes on enemies) Slow Enemy (decreases dexterity of enemies) Meteor Fall (huge meteor clashes on enemies) Kukuru Cure (replenishes HPs) Depoison (cures poison status) Silent (disables enemy's magic use) Refresh (cures status) Ten No Sabaki (hail of explosions) Resurrection (revives dead party members) Divide (steals HPs from enemies) Poco Ikusa No Kodaiko (raises attack levels on party members) Arajishi Daiko (laser attack on enemies) Hero Hero Rappa (huge stone notes drop on enemies) Ieyashi No Tategoto (replenishes party member's HP) Noroma No Bass (decreases enemy's dexterity) Idaten No Okarina (raises party member's dexterity) Tosh Oukarai Bakuzan (three deadly slashes to enemy) Juubakuken (paralyzes enemy) Shinkuuzan (Illusion attack for enemy at two squares away from Tosh) Koenzan (Shadow attack to inflict deadly) Gogen Explosion (massive explosion against enemies) Dream Knock (casts "sleep" on enemies) Diamond Dust (hails of ice thrashes on enemies) Wind Slasher (cyclones thrash against enemies) Heat Wall (creates a fire barrier against enemies; see Hints) Thunder Storm (summons lightning bolts) Teleport (teleports) Iga Shingan Hoo (casts "rock" on enemies"; see Hints) Taimakoodan (releases lasers against enemies) Senbuugekishuu (releases a flaming kick to hit all enemies around him) Ryuusenbaku (summons winds to lift enemies and thrashes them on ground) Kishin Ryuueiha (throws ground lightning bolt) Metsushuu Reppa (energy wave attack) Chongara Keraku (three elves who heal members) Monfree (creates tiles for passage) Fuugin (wind demon; see Hints) Raigin (thunder demon; see Hints) Hemogee (transforms enemies into trolls) Odon (morphs into enemy) Hints: Iga's Rock Spell Once the "Shingan Hoo" spell (rock spell) is cast on enemies, the "Taimakoodan" spell (laser spell) is enabled/accessible. The laser will attack all the enemies under the rock spell. Note that the Taimakoodan spell is not usable independently. Chongara's Monsters and the 1100+ HP Damage Attack Chongara's abilities are unique. He summons enemies of all genera at his will. Though his monsters may not seem as useful at first, his two monsters "Raigin" and "Fuugin" can be quite a deadly combination when used accordingly. Though it takes some time to summon both Raigin and Fuugin, once they are out, place them around an enemy, preferably a strong one. But note that they must be in a VERITCAL FORMATION (example: Raigin over an enemy, Fuugin underneath the same enemy), in order for the attack to work: Once they are in a vertical formation, a spell will now be accessible, which can inflict more than 1100 HP damage! Death is inevitable. Chongara's Secret Character Chongara also has a secret character that he can summon at only certain times.

Explore the techniques used by pre-twentieth century Essay

Explore the techniques used by pre-twentieth century authors to build fear and tension for the reader in three or four short stories. You must refer to the historical context. â€Å"The Black Cat,† by Edgar Allan Poe, â€Å"The Blind Man,† by Kate Chopin† and â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart,† by Edgar Allan Poe. Usually, a black cat is an animal associated with witchcraft and black magic. And in Edgar Allan Poe’s nineteenth century short story, this is no different. They are viewed as mythical, demonic objects; objects of evil. The author’s cat is called Pluto. This name itself suggests that maybe it is a secretive animal, hidden and unknown, like the ninth planet it’s named after; nobody knows much about it. We soon learn that the cat is â€Å"entirely black, sagacious to an astonishing degree.† Much like the writer, this cat is portrayed as being wise and astute. Yet within what appears to be no time at all, the writer is fiercely describing the feline as being a â€Å"monster,† summoning hellish images into the mind of the reader. â€Å"The fury of a demon instantly possessed me† is a quotation which shows the writer’s abstract impulsiveness towards the cat. The writer abruptly grabs the â€Å"poor beat by the throat.† This kind of behavior is not associated with pets. It seems like the writer and subconsciously personified the beast, as he grabs it by the throat, instead of kicking it away like someone would expect. Once strangling the cat, Edgar Allan Poe â€Å"deliberately cut out one of its eyes.† This is extremely irrational behavior and happens so quickly. This conjures a lot of fear in the reader, and this man has suddenly taken part in a brutal, cold-blooded slaughter. The language used is very provocative and emotive throughout the story, and this is couple by a detached tone. The immediate shift from being ‘normal’ to suddenly growing mad and irrational is complex and acute. At the beginning of the next paragraph, he describes himself to be having a â€Å"feeble and equivocal feeling,† showing that he perhaps doesn’t realise what he has just done. This arouses suspicion in the reader, as we do not know what to think. Edgar Allan Poe continually tries to befriend the reader, yet he is horrific. We start to feel sympathetic towards him, and pathos is created. The man continued to present the reader with explanations and excuses for his â€Å"evil deed.† The feeling of witchcraft is echoed when he â€Å"was aroused from sleep by the cry of fire.† His house is alight, and after the blaze, people gather around. In the only wall that is left standing, an apparition of a gigantic cat. He then remembers, â€Å"that the cat had been hung in a garden adjacent to the house.† This brings the reader to try and piece together the pieces of this puzzle, but we cannot, for it is too complex. This scene creates a lot of tension in the reader. Once again, we see that this cat, from beyond the grave has managed to produce itself. It summons terror in the reader and insecurity fills Poe. One night, as the write stood, â€Å"absolutely stupefied,† he sees a black object, and it turns out to be a large black cat, almost identical to the former animal, with the exception of a large white patch. Within time, the writer starts to feel hatred towards the cat, the only thing preventing him form physically hurting it being â€Å"the remembrance of my former deed of cruelty.† Again, impulsively, the man commits a terrible act of gruesome, murderous hatred. He kills his wife, horrifically. After this, the cat seems to have vanished. Even though the man manages to conceal the body in the wall, he is overcome with fear, just as the reader, and beings to make excuses and become petrified himself. This is shown as madness, and this makes the story intense and full of tension. Allan Poe describes the police party as being â€Å"an assassination.† This instantly shows us that something bad is going to happen, as an assassination is a planned killing. The arrogance of the killer annoys the reader, yet we still feel a subconscious sympathy towards him, for he is lost within himself; â€Å"I know myself no longer.† The writer builds up a lot of tension at the end. The whole plot has been leading up to an intense crescendo, and when the writer is at the height of confidence, a â€Å"continuous scream, utterly anomalous† was heard, â€Å"only out of hell.† The re-appearance of the animal definitely doesn’t seem lie ka coincidence. We have no ide a where it is, and then, suddenly, it foils the old, murderous villain. In the nineteenth century, people believed in witchcraft. They believed in ghosts and all superstitious theories. The writer uses this to extract terror from the reader. â€Å"My original soul seemed at once, to take it’s flight from my body; and a more than fiendish malevolence, gin-nurtured, thrilled every fibre of my frame.† This quotation exploits the reader and emphasizes the views of society. The writer’s wife believed in the â€Å"ancient popular notion which regarded all black cats as witches in disguise.† It is a story of a butchering; a cold-blooded, violent execution. Throughout, the reader is tense and fearful. Tension is built up with evocative language and sudden switches of mood and tempo. In â€Å"The Blind Man,† by Kate Chopin is a confusing story. It is extremely mysterious, with perception playing a big part in what is real, and what the reader imagines. The principal character of â€Å"The Blind Man,† is represented as being wise. The fact that he â€Å"walked slowly down the street,† and he wore â€Å"an old straw hat and faded garments† does not produce an image of poorness; yet summons an illustration or superiority. In the first sentence of the story, the reader is told that he was â€Å"carrying a small red box in one hand.† This is, at first, very mysterious and we are intrigued to learn of it’s contents. The reader is also told that he is walking on â€Å"the blistering asphalt pavement,† even though there is plenty of shade on the other side of the road â€Å"where the trees where thick.† As we do not yet know that the man is blind, the reader feels insecure and suspicious about the man’s posit ion. When we find out the man is blind, the reader feels a sense of understanding, and empathizes with the old man, even though â€Å"he was not old.† The writer personifies the man’s feelings. â€Å"Hunger, with sharp fangs was gnawing at his stomach.† This seems unusual and eerie; the setting does not produce an image of fear, yet this powerful phrase ‘wakes up’ the reader and creates a tension and slight hope that something will happen. When the group of boys try and take his box away from him, he acts like anyone would. He shouts at them, and tries to get it back. The reader thinks, that when a policeman came round the corner, he would get his box back and the boys would get in trouble. However, upon â€Å"seeing that he was the centre of a disturbance, jerked him violently† and took him aside. This scared the reader as it is totally unexpected, and is preparing us for another unexpected event, yet to come. â€Å"Then, something happened.† Before we even learn the details, suspense has already been built, as the reader is told than something has happened. It doesn’t matter at this stage what it is – all that matters is that we are on the edge of our seat, waiting. Emotions run wild as we learn that whatever has happened made â€Å"the strongest men who saw it grow sick and dizzy.† This is a phrase which emphasized the brutality of the collision. Even the â€Å"superhuman effort† that the man used to try and stop his car failed. By now, the reader is unhappily excited, the action that has taken place gives an adrenaline rush and provides the reader with tense desire to find out more. As the truth is revealed, there is a complete anticlimax. It is not as we expected; it is not the blind man in the road. Even though this is a big surprise, there is no real shock. â€Å"The blind man did not know what the commotion was all about. He had crossed the street.† This final sentence of the story is unexplained and devious. It seems supernatural, as if he is acting suspicious. Edgar Allan Poe’s, â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† is an evocative and extremely intensifying story, filled with twists and shock. In the first sentence, suspense is built up and the writer is snappy and precise with his words. â€Å"The disease had sharpened my senses, not destroyed,† is powerful yet confusing, as usually, a disease would not improve senses or physical attributes. As this is an inexplicable statement, the reader becomes wary and suspicious of this character almost immediately, thus setting the scene for a horror story. â€Å"Passion there was none. I loved the old man.† The fact that ‘loved’ is past tense, immediately shows that something either isn’t right, or has changed. The writer proceeds to say, â€Å"Madmen know nothing. You should have seen me,† really emphasizing how scary he is. And the reader is nervous – they are completely unaware and naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve. But even this madman has fears. And this makes is scarier for the reader, and we soon find out that a pale blue eye that â€Å"resembled that of a vulture,† made the writers â€Å"blood run cold.† This language creates a lot of anxiety and trepidation, for there is another character, powerful enough to trigger terror amongst the writer and the reader. Other phrases used, such as â€Å"I heard many things in hell† are demonic and hellish, showing that this story is likely to be dangerously horrid. The image that we have of this man being mad and out of control is shattered on the second page of the book, when he describes how it took him â€Å"an hour to place my whole head within the opening† of the door. This continues – it takes him an hour to put the lantern in until, eventually; he is standing in the doorway. This really does build tension, very slowly, because all of a sudden, the â€Å"old man sprung up in bed, crying out – â€Å"Who’s there?† This is slightly baffling, as the writer didn’t make any sounds – he â€Å"could feel the extent of my powers – of my sagacity.† Again, Edgar Allan Poe stands and waits for an hour. The old man groans, and it is a groan â€Å"of mortal terror.† The word ‘mortal’ prompts the reader to think about death and dying, also triggering the imagination – we want and need something to happen. The author then uses metaphors to add tension to the piece. â€Å"A single dim ray, like the thread of a spider† show the amount of precision; the perfection. Again, the writer refers to the eyes as being a â€Å"vulture.† Before the writer commits the sin he hears a sound. It is like a â€Å"watch makes when enveloped in cotton.† This makes us think about what this simile means. Poe stands by the mans door again, but this time for a number of minutes. The time has shortened, showing impatience and eagerness. The reader shivers with anticipation until eventually he â€Å"threw open the lantern and leaped into the room.† There is a total loss of the wit; the planning. However, it is a criminal calculation; perfectly planned. When the man is dead, the killer †dismembered the corpse.† This is a particularly provocative verb and sparks a gruesome image to enter the reader’s head. The writer believes himself to be perfect, and his audacity is arrogant. More suspense is built when the police enter. This is a great technique as the reader then feels that there is still more action to come. Again, the write is confident; â€Å"my manner convinced them. I was singularly at ease.† His head starts aching as he â€Å"fancies a ringing in my ears.† This produces confusion, and this confusing rapidly turns into excitement. â€Å"The ringing became more distinct†¦no doubt I grew very pale.† Edgar Allan Poe is hearing a noise; a familiar noise; â€Å"a sound as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton.† a sound as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton.† This repetition is extreme and the reader is overcome with anxiety. In one sense, we actually want the assassin to get away with his dastardly crime, as it will be more exciting. The fretfulness and unease continues to grow and the noise persists in booming in the ears of the poor fellow, until he lets out a roar of confession, shouting, â€Å"Villains! ‘dissemble no more! I admit the deed!† This quickfire of shouted remarks is out of desperation and guilt. The final line of the story is, â€Å"it is the beating of his hideous heart! This refers to the old, dead man. But this is also extremely ironic, and the sound that was ringing in Poe’s ears was out of guilt, and subconsciously it was his own heart. It is human nature to have fears. Lots of people have claustrophobia, and many more would hate to be buried alive. In † The Tell-Tale Heart† and â€Å"The Black Cat,† there are incarcerations and live burials. This is extremely disturbing and people in the nineteenth century would be extremely disturbed to see or hear of such events. The shock horror at the end of all three stories is graphic: the imagery produced is sensitive and detailed. Edgar Allan Poe and Kate Chopin use many different techniques and methods to build up tension and suspense. Use of effective, redolent language, and the reader’s imagination combine to force painful settings and events into the story. Nineteenth century society was brutal – there were gruesome executions and murders, and suspicious activity and witchcraft were looked down upon and punished. Conflict between logic and instinct in characters puts strain and pressure on the reader. Confusion and unexpected twists in the complex plots produce fear and total anxiety in the reader.

How Do I Find an Old GMAT Score

If youve taken the GMAT in the past but set then misplaced or forgot your score because you delayed going to graduate or business school, take heart. If you took the test up to 10 years ago, you have options: There are ways to retrieve your old score.  If youre looking for an old GMAT score that is more than 10 years old, however, you may be out of luck. GMAT Score Basics A GMAT score, the score that you receive when you take the Graduate Management Admissions Test, is vital for gaining admission to  graduate programs. Many business schools use GMAT scores to make admissions decisions (as in who to let into business school and whom to reject). The Graduate Management Admission Council, which administers the test, keeps old GMAT scores for 10 years. After 10 years, youll have to take the exam again if you plan to attend business or graduate school. Considering that most graduate and management programs wont accept a GMAT score older than five years, youd have to retake it anyway, even if you retrieve your score for a GMAT you took more than half a decade ago. Retrieving  Your GMAT   Score If you took the GMAT a couple years ago and need to know your scores, you have a few options. You can create an account on the  GMAC  website. Youll be able to access your scores this way. If you previously registered but forgot your login information, you can reset your password. The GMAC also allows you to order old GMAT scores by phone, mail, fax or online, with different fees assessed for each method. There is also a $10 fee for every customer service phone call, so you can save money by requesting your score reports via email or the  online contact form. The GMACs contact information is: Email: GMATCandidateServicesAmericaspearson.comPhone: (toll-free): 1-800-717-GMAT 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. central time or 1-952-681-3680Fax: 1-952-681-3681 Tips and Hints The GMAC is always making improvements to the exam. The test you took even a few years ago is not identical to the one youd take today. For instance, if its been a long time—prior to the next generation GMAT introduced in 2012—you may not have taken the integrated  reasoning section, which can really show off your ability to  synthesize materials, analyze several facets to form an answer and solve complex multidimensional problems. The GMAC now also offers an  enhanced score report, which shows you  how you performed on specific skills tested in each section, how long it took you to answer each question, and how your skill level compares with other people who took the test from the past three years.   If you do decide to retake the GMAT, take the time to review the  parts of the test, such as the analytical writing assessment and verbal reasoning section, how the test is  scored, and even take a  sample GMAT test  or two and peruse other review materials to sharpen your skills.